Conille defies calls to step down as prime minister, calls move to replace him ‘illegal’

Haiti’s Prime Minister Garry Conille is vowing to remain in office, insisting only Parliament has the authority to remove him after the Transitional Presidential Council moved to replace him with Alix Didier Fils-Aimé over the weekend. Conille’s defiance comes amid a monthlong power struggle between him and the nine-member council, known by its French acronym, CPT, over their respective roles.

“Under no circumstances can the Presidential Council, even in its transitional role, replace the Parliament and exercise authority that has not been granted to it,” Conille said in a statement released Sunday.

“As Prime Minister, but above all as a Haitian citizen, I choose, out of patriotism, not to respond to this situation with division, but rather with responsibility,” Conille added.

Decisions about Haiti’s government are published in Le Moniteur, the state’s official gazette. Leaked Sunday, the CPT decree immediately stirred controversy, with Conille, a CPT member who abstained from signing it, and a legal expert’s views raising questions about its legality. 

Conille rejects decree naming new PM  

The Le Moniteur issue pre-dated for Monday, November 11, 2024, announced Fils-Aimé as Conille’s replacement. 

It states, “We, Smith Augustin, Louis Gerald Gilles, Fritz Alphonse Jean, Edgard Leblanc Fils, Laurent Saint-Cyr, Emmanuel Vertilaire, Leslie Voltaire, voting members, Régine Abraham and Frisnel Joseph, observer members without voting rights of the Transitional Presidential Council (CPT), convened this Friday, November 8, 2024, at the National Palace, have unanimously chosen citizen Alix Didier Fils-Aimé as Prime Minister.”

“I remain determined to continue working constructively for the peace and stability of our country and to support all efforts to restore peace and ensure democratic, transparent, and inclusive governance.”

Garry Conille

In a separate letter, Conille requested that the Director-General of the National Press, Ronald Saint-Jean, refrain from publishing the CPT resolution on the grounds that it was made outside of any legal and constitutional framework and that it also violates the texts governing the transition period. 

He invoked Article 158 of Haiti’s 1987 Constitution specifically to make his point, saying it provides that only a vote of no confidence from Parliament can terminate his role. 

Conille, in his statement, also accused the CPT of overreach, saying it is taking a decision that only Parliament — which currently is not functioning in Haiti due to elections not being held to renew terms in either chamber — is authorized to make. He said while the members may appoint a Prime Minister, no legal text grants it the power to dismiss one.

Conille also cited Article 37 of the decree governing the CPT, which states that in case of documented governance failure, the council can end the Prime Minister’s duties by asking him to resign.

Legal experts like former Justice Minister Bernard Gousse agreed. Gousse told local media that Conille’s dismissal was “illegal” because the council was overextending its powers.

Disagreement over UN and Brazil trips spark feud

Conille’s position came into limbo after a long CPT meeting held Nov. 8 ended with no resolution. But the conflict between them has been simmering since the early days of Conille being selected as Prime Minister.

Then, back in September, a new clash erupted over who should represent Haiti at the 79th United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in New York. 

Haitian officials had sent the name of Leblanc Fils, at the time the president of the CPT, as head of the Haitian delegation. However, Conille had traveled ahead to meet with certain leaders and discuss Haiti. 

According to the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Dominique Dupuy, this confused the UNGA’s planning teams. They told the Haitian authorities that they could not provide security to two Haitian heads of state traveling to the United States. The team later acknowledged their mistake and said they would provide all the courtesy to Leblanc. But his arrival in New York was still delayed, as a result.

Meanwhile, Voltaire, another CPT member, traveled to the UNGA aboard the Kenyan president’s plane. That head of state, William Ruto, had been visiting his country’s troops in Haiti. 

Around the same period, resentment ran through the CPT again when Voltaire was barred from attending a meeting between Conille and Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. According to Gazette Haiti News, a very angry Voltaire accused Haiti’s Foreign Minister Dominique Dupuy of blocking him. 

Citizens’ forum brings conflict to boiling point

Relations deteriorated from there. Conille refused to respond to the Council’s request to explain what happened at the summit and to meet with them for nearly a month. Mediation efforts by the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), which helped establish the transitional government, also failed.

Friday, the conflict reached a boiling point during a civic gathering called “Forum Citoyen” held in Kenscoff. 

Conille demanded the removal of three CPT members named in an anti-corruption report at the National Bank of Credit (BNC) — Gilles, Vertilaire and Augustin. 

Voltaire, who has since assumed leadership of the CPT, insisted on a ministerial reshuffle of roles under Conille’s purview. Voltaire wanted to replace ministers Dupuy; Justice and Public Security, Carlos Hercules; Economy and Planning, Ketleen Florestal; Defense Jean-Marc Berthier Antoine; Public Health and Population, Georges Fils Brignol; and the Interior and Local Government ministry, run by Conille himself.

Conille also insisted that Voltaire publish the April 3 agreement in Le Moniteur that would establish the Government Action Control Body (OCAG) and National Security Council. 

During the meeting, Conille opposed the idea that all key ministries should be controlled by the Presidency. His requests were reportedly poorly received by the CPT.

Despite calls for calm, executive alliance falls apart 

Many observers, academics and regular Haitians alike are exasperated once again at the political maneuverings. 

Evans Paul, a former prime minister, is among those calling on the players to reach an agreement in the country’s best interest, rather than fighting for personal gains. Paul urged both sides to demonstrate selflessness to solve the country’s current turmoil, saying the power struggle jeopardizes prospects of recovery and seriously undermines the possibility of organizing credible elections.

Ricardo Fleuridor, leader of the socio-political organization Nou Pap Konplis, sees the political fighting happening at the expense of the fight against insecurity. 

While the government was at odds, gang violence killed at least five people between Nov. 4 and Nov. 7 in the Solino neighborhood. A UN report published last week revealed that nearly 4,900 people were killed from January to September 2024 in Haiti. 

Like Paul, Fleuridor called on the highest authorities of the State to rise above personal interests to address the crucial issues of the moment, including insecurity and the suffering of the population.

“As leaders, you must be outraged by the way you treat our Haitian compatriots. Most of them have had to flee the country because of insecurity,” Fleuridor said.

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Conille defies calls to step down as prime minister, calls move to replace him ‘illegal’ was first posted on November 11, 2024 at 11:21 am.